The Tulsa Golden Hurricane had a rare but golden opportunity in 2012; they were able to avenge an early loss to a non-conference foe in a Bowl Game. In the first week of the season, the Golden Hurricane lost to Iowa State 38-23 on the road. But on December 31st at the Liberty Bowl, the Golden Hurricane defeated those same pesky Cyclones 31-17, thus proving the theory that a hurricane is stronger than a cyclone (cue the drum roll please).

The Golden Hurricane were all ready to join the Big East conference in 2013, but with the collapse of the Big East they decided to stay in the Mountain West with the likes of Boise State and Nevada. This is a good move for all the member-schools because it was only a matter of time when the Big East would totally collapse. To play schools that Tulsa has no geographic connection with seems to be a terrible decision. So it all worked out in the end.

Head coach Bill Blankenship is somewhat of an interesting story. He once played for the school before becoming a successful high school coach in Oklahoma. In 2007, he joined the staff as an assistant coach under then-head coach Todd Graham before he left to take the position at Pitt. Blankenship, in his two seasons at the school, has an impressive winning percentage of .704.

There’s no reason to believe the Golden Hurricane will slow down in 2013. Blankenship seems to be committed to the program for the long-term, and their decision to stay in the Mountain West will help with recruiting and favorable game match-ups.